Hunger Games: Lionsgate CEO Talks Potential For Series Continuation

The transitioning of a successful film into an equally, if not even more successful franchise is one of the most ideal situations for any Hollywood studio. There have been countless attempts to reach these heights with a variety of titles throughout the years, but only a select few have what it takes to click with audiences in just the right capacity and come away with a solid fanbase.

Novelist Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Gamesseries was one of those select few that transitioned perfectly to film. After four successful adaptations, The Hunger Games films have established themselves as one of the cornerstones of the dystopian YA genre and played an essential part in Jennifer Lawrence’s rise to Hollywood stardom. In fact, ever since the series culminated with 2015’s Mockingjay – Part 2, rumors of more from the franchise have thrived.

Though nothing concrete has yet to be pinned down regarding the possibility of more from The Hunger Games, while chatting recently with Variety, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer didn’t shy away from discussing the future of the franchise. Feltheimer remains adamant that just like any other studio, Lionsgate is interested in ways to further expand the world of Panem. Said Feltheimer:

“I would say that there’s no big franchise that any studio has that they’re not trying to look at prequels, sequels, spinoffs, some version of that. We think that there’s a great piece of IP with Hunger Games. It’s a great world.”

Lionsgate’s relatively small size as a studio means that its livelihood is greatly affected by the success or failure of even one of its releases. Ever since The Hunger Games completed its four-film run, Lionsgate has been working to fill the void the series left behind. So far these efforts have not met with much success, although the upcoming arrival of The Power Rangers film could certainly be of much help. Still, talk of more Hunger Games has produced rumors of prequel movies – an idea that Lawrence was quick to dismiss late last year. Lawrence has also joked that any new installments of the franchise wouldn’t involve her or the other main cast members.

From a financial standpoint, it’s clear why Lionsgate wants to make more Hunger Games films. The franchise is their golden ticket, so to speak, and given that fans of the series surely want more, there’s no real reason for them not to proceed. Collins has yet to write any more novels in the series, however, nor has she announced any intention to. So, should Lionsgate decide to proceed without her, the end results could end up alienating more hardcore fans rather than drawing them in.

As is always the case with franchises, time reveals all. Perhaps the likelihood of more Hunger Games films will be based on exactly how successful Lionsgate’s upcoming slate of films turns out to be – but even if the studio sees huge success with other upcoming titles, it’s hard to beat the ongoing appeal of The Hunger Games.

Screen Rant will keep you up to date on all the latest Hunger Games news.